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Be honest with yourself

Where you'll overspend in Benidorm, and by how much

Nearly everyone goes over. Adults overspend their holiday budget by 37% and families by 42%. Post Office, 2025 Answer honestly and see where your money will really go.

Who's going?
What's included at the hotel?
Be honest: how much do you drink on holiday?
Nights out on the Strip or at a show bar
Beach days on a paid sunbed
Paying for things
Trips and shows

What's worth overspending on

Worth it

  • A room with a view or a high floor. You see it every morning; it changes the whole week.
  • Benidorm Palace with dinner. €60 a head for a full night out: show, meal and seat. Benidorm Palace, Oct 2026
  • All-inclusive at a cheap-tier hotel. £4–13 a night extra pays for itself by lunchtime. Jet2holidays and TUI, 20 Oct 2026
  • One day at a beach club. A Balinese bed is a treat for one day, not seven. our beach clubs guide
  • A taxi home after midnight. A short night ride starts at €5.50. Worth it over a long walk. Radio Taxi Benidorm, 2026
  • Booking the water park online. €6 less per adult than at the gate. Aqualandia, Oct 2026

Not worth it

The lines everyone goes over on

Drinks and eating out are the two biggest. Plan for them instead of pretending you'll eat in: in our numbers they are more than half of a typical couple's spending money on half board. Benidorm Total, 2026; what holidaymakers told us, 2026 Sunbeds and taxis home at night come next.

Dear Brenda

We listen. Each letter is built from many real comments on the same subject, combined so that nothing identifies anyone.

Dear Brenda, our four-star hotel charged €22 for the safe, which wasn't mentioned when we booked, and wanted a €20 deposit for a pool towel that they then tried not to give back. Friends paid €7.50 a day for air-con in their apartment. It feels like we've been nickel-and-dimed. Which of these should I expect?

A couple, on hotel extras

Brenda: Expect the safe (€3–3.50 a day) and a towel deposit (€10–20) at many hotels, and air-con charges at some apartments. Ask about all three before you book, keep the towel receipt, and some packages include the safe, so check.

Dear Brenda, the waiter put bread and aioli on the table without asking. We thought it was a nice touch until the bill came with €2.50 for every roll. Another night the 'complimentary' chips were on the bill too, and the menu didn't show drink prices. How do I stop this without making a scene?

A couple, on eating out

Brenda: A polite 'no gracias' when it arrives is enough; nobody minds. If you want it, ask the price. Order where prices are on the menu, and check the bill before you pay. It is a small cost, but it adds up to €10–20 a table.

Dear Brenda, the board outside said '€5 drinks', but my gin and tonic came to €9 because the tonic was extra. In another bar I paid €3 for a pint and watched the man next to me pay €2.50. How do I know what a fair price is before I order?

A visitor, on bar prices

Brenda: A fair pint is €1.50–2.50 at happy hour a street back from the Strip and €3–4.50 on it. Ask whether a drinks offer includes the mixer, ask the price before the second round, and pay in euros.

More on what Benidorm really costs

What the package price doesn't tell you

Flights, transfer and hotel are in. Half the holiday isn't.

Why every family overspends in Benidorm, and by how much

Families budget £766 and go over by £323. Here's where.

10 ways to save on your next Benidorm holiday

Ten changes, each with the saving in pounds.

Benidorm holiday costs by category

Every cost, one line at a time, with the cheapest way to pay.

How a family saves over £200 on a Benidorm week

Six changes that save a family of four £234.

Airport shockers: what eating at the airport really costs

A £10.05 pint, a £65 breakfast, £4 water. What eating at the airport costs a family, and where to eat for less.

Benidorm prices that have gone up

Hotels up 6.7% this year; a family meal up two-thirds since 2016, after inflation.

The hidden costs of a Benidorm holiday

Deposits, safes, bread on the bill, tourist ATMs and more, ranked.

10 free tools on Benidorm.co.uk that save you money

Free calculators and price checks built for this site.

Is all-inclusive worth it in Benidorm?

33 hotels priced: when all-inclusive pays and when it doesn't.

A Benidorm holiday then and now: 1976 to 2026

A Benidorm week still costs a week's wages, as in 1976.

Sources

About us · How we earn · How we score · How Brenda works · Editorial policy · Is Benidorm safe? · Practical guide · Cheapest time to go · Sitemap

Benidorm.co.uk is an independent guide. Hotel and tour links are affiliate links: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what we recommend. Prices change; each table shows the date we checked it.